Tag: 3BL

TORONTO, Ontario, April 27, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Foresters Financial™ (Foresters), the fraternal life insurer boldly redefining the industry through innovation, purpose and wellness is proud to rejoin forces with Whole Kids Foundation, a nonprofit established by Whole Foods Market dedicated to improving children’s nutrition. Together, Foresters and Whole Kids Foundation will help 14 organizations across the US, Canada and the UK develop their edible learning spaces through $3,000 garden grants and hands-on support. Foresters will fund 15 grants for a total of $45,000.

On March 18, Foresters and Whole Kids Foundation collaborated with Enrich LA, a community wellness non-profit organization that builds edible gardens for youth and families, to kick off the Grow It Forward Garden Grants initiative. This collaboration will help Lovelia P. Flournoy Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA. Foresters member volunteers joined teaching staff, students and parents to help construct an edible garden at the school.

“We’re incredibly proud to widen our partnership with Whole Kids Foundation and to support these important programs across the US, Canada and the UK,” said Louis Gagnon, President and CEO of Foresters Financial. “Providing opportunities to give back to our communities, and helping our members do the good they want to do through Foresters grants, is an embodiment of our core values that inform and differentiate our business. I’d like to thank the Foresters members, employees and all those who’ve participated – or plan to participate – in these special events.”

Foresters and Whole Kids Foundation have scheduled the following events in the US to coincide with National Garden Month in April. These events will take place on Saturday, April 29 to construct edible gardens:

Boston, MA – Victory Programs, Inc.*Cincinnati, OH – Stewart Elementary SchoolGreensboro, NC – Positive Direction for Youth and Families Inc.Los Angeles, CA – Enrich LA at the 118th Street Elementary SchoolSeattle, WA –Tilth Alliance*

An additional US event has been scheduled on Saturday, May 20 in Detroit, MI where Foresters and Whole Kids Foundation will construct an edible garden at Mackenzie Elementary School.

In the UK, Foresters and Whole Kids Foundation, in partnership with School Food Matters, a charity that teaches children about food and campaigns for healthy, sustainable school meals, will construct edible gardens at the following locations on Saturday, May 13:

Birmingham – Bramford C of E Primary SchoolBristol – Hannah More Primary SchoolChelmsford – Whitehill Primary School

In Canada, Foresters and Whole Kids Foundation have scheduled an event on Saturday, June 3 to construct an edible garden in Calgary, AB at Phoenix Education Foundation.

In addition, Foresters and Farm to Cafeteria Canada, a charity transforming how food is experienced, learned and celebrated in schools across Canada, will construct edible gardens in two more locations in Canada on Saturday, June 3:

Montreal, QC – École primaire Louis-DupireSurrey, BC – Harold Bishop Elementary

“Edible gardens are powerful hands-on spaces that connect neighborhoods with fresh food, encourage meaningful learning experiences, and inspire life-long healthy eating habits,” said Chanta Williams, Interim Executive Director for Whole Kids Foundation and Whole Cities Foundation. “Foresters shares our passion for advancing community nutrition and wellness, and together, we are helping to amplify locally driven fresh food initiatives.”

For more information about Foresters and other member benefits, please visit Foresters.com or go to cpp.ca for more information about Canada Protection Plan. 1 

Life Insurance with a Larger Purpose

Bringing a better, new normal to everyday families, Foresters offers a suite of unique member benefits1 and is redefining the conventional life insurance model. Member benefits include Foresters Go, opportunities for scholarships, orphan benefits, community volunteer grants, document preparation services for creating wills and other legal documents, Lifelong Learning, MemberDeals, and more.

About Foresters Financial

Foresters Financial is quietly transforming the life insurance industry across the US and Canada by enriching the lives, communities, and overall well-being of its members. Agents and members alike appreciate the turnkey-decisioned product offerings and end-to-end digitized processes that make it easy to get life insurance without traditional medical exams (insurability depends on answers to medical and other application questions and underwriting searches and review.) State-of-the-art mobile tools help agents deliver tailored plans to prospective and current members. Unique to fraternal life insurers, Foresters offers a suite of member benefits, redefining the conventional life insurance model and bringing improved financial security and overall wellness to everyday North American families. Foresters recently merged with Canada Protection Plan to become a leading life insurance distributor in Canada. Foresters Financial is the trade name for The Independent Order of Foresters, the oldest non-denominational fraternal benefit society. For 22 straight years, The Independent Order of Foresters has received an “A” (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best.2

Click here to read Foresters news releases.

For information purposes only.

™Foresters Financial, Foresters, and Helping Is Who We Are, are trade names and/or trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Rd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries.

Canada Protection Plan is a trademark of Canada Protection Plan Inc.

417334 CAN/US (03/23), 417334 FR (03/23)

About Whole Kids Foundation

Whole Kids Foundation supports schools and inspires families to improve children’s nutrition and wellness. Founded by Whole Foods Market in 2011, the independent, nonprofit organization is based in Austin, Texas, and serves schools and organizations in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. For more information on the Foundation’s school programs including school gardens, salad bars, beehives, and nutrition education for teachers, visit wholekidsfoundation.org. For ongoing news and updates, follow Whole Kids Foundation on Facebook, Instagram , Twitter or LinkedIn.

About Whole Cities Foundation

Whole Cities Foundation works alongside community-based organizations to improve neighborhood health through collaborative partnerships, nutrition education, and broader access to fresh, healthy food. Founded by Whole Foods Market in 2014, the independent, nonprofit organization is based in Austin, Texas and has partnered with more than 250 community organizations in more than 130 cities across the U.S. to build thriving local food systems and improve health. Through vibrant grant programs, Whole Cities Foundation supports community gardens, urban farms, pop-up produce stands, agriculture skills development, farmers’ markets, mobile markets, healthy cooking classes and other community-directed initiatives. For more information on the Foundation and its programs, visit wholecitiesfoundation.org. For ongoing news and updates, follow Whole Cities Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

*A Whole Cities Foundation community partner

1 Description of member benefits that you may receive assumes you are a Foresters member. Foresters Financial member benefits are non-contractual, subject to benefit specific eligibility requirements, definitions and limitations and may be changed or cancelled without notice or are no longer available.

2 The A.M. Best ratings assigned on August 4, 2022, reflect overall strength and claims-paying ability of The Independent Order of Foresters. An “A” (Excellent) rating is assigned to companies that have a strong ability to meet their ongoing obligations to policyholders and have, on balance, excellent balance sheet strength, operating performance and business profile when compared to the standards established by A.M. Best Company. A.M. Best assigns ratings from A++ to F, A++ and A+ being superior ratings and A and A- being excellent ratings. In assigning the ratings, A.M. Best stated that the rating outlook is “stable”, which means it is unlikely to change in the near future. See ambest.com for our latest rating.

April 27, 2023 /3BL Media/ – As we celebrate Administrative Professionals Week, Sky’s the Limit is shining a light on Tara Payne, a Founder of two businesses designed to give entrepreneurs the time-freedom to work on growing their businesses and to form connections that lead to success.

Tara launched Payne Creative Consulting Group to offer direct, personable, and professional General Administrative support to entrepreneurs. In parallel, she launched Mavens Meet initially as a professional women’s support organization – and it’s since evolved into a technology platform that not only helps bring entrepreneurs together, but also offers career and training opportunities for professional virtual assistants.

”I was looking for a way to marry passion, purpose, and pay. My parents raised my sisters and me to take care of one another and our community. I came to appreciate this sentiment and coupled it with my care and love for supporting people. After years of being told I should use it to start a business, I finally realized that what I thought was just a “knack” for connection was a skill that had the potential to benefit not just me but also those around me,” said Tara.

In 2019 she left the demands of a very stressful career in financial services behind. She credits her time in financial services to reigniting her desire to find out what she was created for – and a way to live the life of her dreams.

“Sky’s the Limit staff and connections from the platform, including mentor Martha Zapata have been helpful. They pointed me to resources that were helpful for me to build my business and stay encouraged during this process,” said Tara

Today Tara enjoys her work as a creative consultant, published author, moderator, and speaker.

Read more about Tara here.

Sky’s the Limit offers opportunities for traditionally marginalized entrepreneurs – typically those who identify as LGBTQI+, BIPOC, women, veterans, disabled people, and people from low-income backgrounds – to connect with mentors to come together to foster, grow, and shape modern and future enterprise.

For more information about how to get your company involved in mentoring, please visit skysthelimit.org/partnerships.

# # #

About SkysThelimit.org: SkysTheLimit.org is a digital platform that connects young, historically excluded entrepreneurs with one-on-one support from experienced business advisors and mentors, entrepreneurship training, and community-voted startup grants. SkysTheLimit.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. 

CNH Industrial brand New Holland Agriculture is committed to promoting diversity within agriculture and highlighting the fundamental role of women in the industry’s development.

Through its “Women in Campaign” project in Argentina, the brand provides a space for individuals in the sector to tell their stories and offer insight on the challenges they have faced. It has been built through collaboration, with in-person events and an online platform offering additional training, interviews, forums and workshops.

In 2023, New Holland has continued to work with its dealer network to bring the project to women of all ages across Argentina. Here are two examples.

Expo Apronor 2023

Alongside its local dealer, Audi Hnos, New Holland brought “Women in Campaign” to the 6th Expo Apronor, the major agricultural exhibition in Northwestern Argentina.

Audi Hnos created a space where visitors could discover and learn about the stories and challenges of local women connected with the project. The aim was also to encourage new women to join and continue their professional development with New Holland.

“We listen to their stories and take their details to keep in touch. We tell them about the ‘Women in Campaign’ website so that they can register to access everything that the initiative offers,” said Noelia Rodríguez, from the dealer’s commercial team.

A Special Meeting with Women from Santa Fe

In the Santa Fe town of Venado Tuerto, New Holland dealer Agroterra held a meeting with clients, municipal officials and rural teachers. During the event, guests participated in a discussion about “Women in Campaign” and tested tractors and sprayers.

“Our dealers share our brand’s values and are a very committed part of the ‘Women in Campaign’ initiative. We listen to participants comments and their suggestions for how to grow and reach different parts of the country. This is the beginning of a new phase,” said Roxana López, Marketing Specialist, New Holland Agriculture.

Sol Arrieta, Director of Agroterra’s management team, stressed the importance of these meetings: “We found it a super enriching experience. We were able to establish another type of contact and bond with the guests. The whole experience itself was brilliant: the test drives, the talks, the food, the music, everything.”

Originally published in Pathway to Premier: 2022 Integrated Report

Entergy’s 2022 Integrated Report focuses on a number of key sustainability and ESG initiatives, including our business strategy. Read on for an overview of Entergy’s approach to sustainability and view our full report at integratedreport.entergy.com.

Entergy is committed to net-zero emissions by 2050. Our path to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 is defined by technology. In our 2022 Climate Report, we announced a new carbon-free energy capacity goal and broadened the boundary of our emission rate-based interim goal to include purchased power. 

Milestones – Entergy expects to reach these interim goals on our path to net- zero emissions:

Carbon-free energy capacity of 50% by 2030.Includes all nuclear and renewable capacity, both owned and purchased.Additional capacity is provided by some accompanying battery storage paired with renewables.Carbon dioxide emission rate reduction of 50% by 2030.Includes all generation, owned and purchased.2000 base year.Increasing renewables.Our plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 could involve as much as 15 to 17 GW of renewable capacity by 2031.

Entergy’s transition to cleaner generation resources is already resulting in better air quality for our communities. At the end of 2022, our carbon dioxide emission rate was 31% lower than in 2000. Our absolute emissions were 19% lower than in 2000. Details on our other emissions reductions are provided on page 31. 

We also serve as a thought leader in our industry, advancing constructive discussions to understand the risks associated with changing environmental conditions. And we’re partnering with regulators and key stakeholders on policy and technology options that address the physical risks of climate change. 

Entergy is working in other ways to ensure our environment is protected and our communities thrive. Our energy and environmental justice working group is comprised of employees who work together to examine our business practices and find ways to better minimize potential adverse effects of our operations and activities on local historically disadvantaged communities. As we diversify our generation portfolio with cleaner resources, we are engaging in constructive conversations with our communities. 

Read the full report here.

April 27, 2023 /3BL Media/ – With generous support from the Wells Fargo Foundation, National Housing Trust (NHT) is pleased to support the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) by launching a new technical assistance program to support housing finance agencies and multifamily affordable housing providers. NHT’s 2023 IRA Bootcamps will launch in May and will provide targeted support for state agencies and affordable housing owners/developers on the benefits of climate-resilient and decarbonized housing, how to best access and implement IRA programs, and how to center residents’ needs in the process.

The IRA Bootcamps will provide free support and peer learning opportunities for all participants.  For housing providers, NHT’s Energy Solutions team will help housing providers assess their housing portfolios to identify opportunities for investment opportunities best suited to access IRA funds.

Each cohort includes 10 to 12 virtual sessions from May to December, with optional in-person gatherings in tandem with affordable housing conferences across the country.

Learn more about the program and who is eligible to apply here: https://nationalhousingtrust.org/ira-bootcamps

What is the Inflation Reduction Act?                                

In August 2022, President Biden signed into law the IRA in response to the impacts of climate change and the increasing need for clean energy. It aims to promote racial equity and environmental justice, ensuring underserved communities no longer bear the brunt of climate change.

The IRA also makes available tax credits and upwards of $25 billion that can be used to support investments in energy efficiency and climate resiliency in affordable housing occupied by low-income households. Both the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) have received funding through the IRA that can be leveraged to support HFAs and affordable housing providers to do this work.

Who is NHT?

National Housing Trust (NHT) creates and preserves affordable homes to provide opportunity, advance racial equity, reduce economic disparities, and strengthen community resilience. Our vision is for all people to have affordable, safe, and sustainable homes that allow them to thrive unburdened by the harmful effects of climate change, racism, and systemic barriers to opportunity.

NHT supports communities throughout the DC area and across the country through grant-funded efforts as well as fee-for-service work, and we advise state and federal agencies on how to design and implement programs to deliver the best possible outcomes for people and the planet. NHT also develops, operates, and manages solar systems for affordable housing owners across the country. 

The companies joined forces to grant the wishes of 26 children battling critical illnesses with a trip of a lifetime.American chartered an aircraft and provided a special gate celebration and inflight experience onboard the Best Flight Ever from New York (JFK) to Orlando, Florida (MCO).In honor of World Wish Day on April 29, American will direct all AAdvantage® miles donated to Miles for Global Health and Well-Being to benefit Make-A-Wish, up to 50 million miles, now through the end of April.

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 27, 2023 /3BL Media/ — On April 12, American Airlines, in collaboration with Make-A-Wish, The Points Guy and The Walt Disney Company, flew 26 critically ill children and their families from New York (JFK) to Orlando, Florida (MCO) on the Best Flight Ever to grant their wish of visiting Walt Disney World Resort.

“At American, we know firsthand how the magic of travel can inspire hope, promote relaxation and create lifelong happy memories — and that’s our wish for these special kids and their families,” said Caroline Clayton, American’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing. “As the longest-standing airline partner of Make-A-Wish, we are especially proud to celebrate World Wish Day this year with a donation that ensures more families can have their own best flights for years to come.”

American chartered an aircraft for the first Best Flight Ever, staffed by an all-volunteer crew, and planned a one-of-a-kind gate celebration and inflight experience. Upon arriving to the airport, a crowd of volunteers and supporters cheered for the families as they walked the red carpet to a pre-flight party, complete with face painting, music, treats and fun.

“The Best Flight Ever is part of the celebration of hope and community as we look forward to World Wish Day on April 29, the anniversary of the wish that inspired the founding of the organization more than 40 years ago,” said Leslie Motter, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America. “From the very first wish until now, Make-A-Wish has been built and shaped by everyday people – like the supporters of this event. It’s been incredible to see American Airlines, Disney, and The Points Guy come together to create this unique experience for our wish kids to inspire the hope, strength, and joy we want our families to feel.”

Onboard the Best Flight Ever, families enjoyed live entertainment from actor and recording artist Michael James Scott, currently starring as Genie in Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway. The flight, emceed by Brian Kelly of The Points Guy, also featured interactive games, a special inflight menu and other surprises. The aircraft received a water cannon salute on both legs of the trip and a VIP welcome at MCO.

“After years of planning, it was such a dream to finally take 26 Make-A-Wish kids and their families on the Best Flight Ever to Walt Disney World,” Kelly said. “I’m so grateful to Make-A-Wish, American Airlines and all of our partners and volunteers for helping bring this magical experience to life. Travel has the power to change lives, and having the opportunity to share this joy with so many deserving children and families was one of the most memorable experiences of my lifetime.”

Now through April 30, American will direct all AAdvantage® miles donated to Miles for Global Health and Well-Being to Make-A-Wish, up to 50 million miles. Customers and team members can support Make-A-Wish and help transform the lives of children with critical illnesses by donating AAdvantage® miles today.

The AAdvantage® miles promotion is in honor of World Wish Day on April 29, which signifies the anniversary of the first wish that inspired the founding of Make-A-Wish more than 40 years ago. Learn more at wish.com/worldwishday.

 

About American Airlines
To Care for People on Life’s Journey®. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company’s stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about what’s happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.

About Make-A-Wish®
Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the #1 most trusted nonprofit operating locally in all 50 states throughout the U.S. Together with generous donors, supporters, staff, and more than 24,000 volunteers across the country, Make-A-Wish delivers hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most. Make-A-Wish aims to bring the power of wishing to every child with a critical illness because wish experiences can help improve emotional and physical health. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 550,000 wishes in nearly 50 countries worldwide; more than 360,000 wishes in the U.S. and its territories alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish America, visit wish.org.

About Disney
At The Walt Disney Company, we inspire a better world through the power of stories. A world filled with hope and promise, especially for children. As part of these efforts, Disney is committed to delivering joy and comfort to children facing serious illness, and to the people who care for them.

This includes Disney’s efforts with Make-A-Wish® and nearly 100 other wish-granting organizations around the world. Through Disney’s collaboration with Make-A-Wish, we’ve helped grant more than 145,000 life-changing wishes since the first wish was granted more than 40 years ago at Disneyland Resort. Wishes range from theme park visits to movie premieres, character meet-and-greets to sports events. All with the goal of helping kids feel like kids, while creating special memories with their families.

Learn more about our commitment to delivering joy and comfort through the power of stories at joy.disney.com.

About The Points Guy
The Points Guy (TPG) is a trusted travel media platform that focuses on maximizing travel experiences while minimizing spending. Through an informative, clever point of view, TPG has become the leading online site for all things points, miles and resourceful travel experiences. The site’s editorial content, newsletter, and app consists of firsthand flight, hotel and airplane reviews, curated travel guides and immersive video components, as well as global event activations. Since its launch in 2010, founder Brian Kelly has expanded the team to include a distinguished editorial staff and extensive network of freelancers around the globe. Today, TPG reaches 11 million unique monthly visitors and more than 3.8 million followers across social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok), and is committed to using travel as a positive force to bring people together, educate communities, and support initiatives to promote equality and opportunity around the globe through TPG Gives Back.

Originally published on Built From Scratch

Army Veteran Odell Witherspoon and his wife Willie Faye have lived in their Charlotte, North Carolina, home since 1973, creating lifelong memories while raising a family. In recent years, the yard has become harder for the couple to maintain, and parts of the home were desperately in need of repairs.

Team Depot, The Home Depot’s associate volunteer force, recently partnered with Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte (RTGC) to help repair the couple’s home and yard. The volunteers tackled several projects around the home, including installing a handrail, replacing bricks on their porches, removing a bathtub to install a new walk-in shower, landscaping the outdoor space and more.

RTGC’s mission is to repair homes, revitalize communities and rebuild lives. They connect communities with resources to create healthier, more vibrant neighborhoods. Their vision is to provide safe homes and communities for everyone.

This year, The Home Depot Foundation is celebrating 30 years of giving back through Team Depot. Since 2011, The Home Depot Foundation has invested $475 million in veteran causes and helped renovate and enhance more than 55,000 veteran homes and facilities.

To learn more about Team Depot and The Foundation’s commitment to serving veterans, visit HomeDepotFoundation.org.

Keep up with all the latest Home Depot news! Subscribe to our bi-weekly news update and get the top Built from Scratch stories delivered straight to your inbox.

“When wealth passes from one generation to another, thoughtful solutions are required to consider sustainable investing in the context of trusts and estate planning.” – Steven Fradkin shared his perspective on advising families with sustainable investing objectives at EarthX’s E-Capital Summit. We were proud to sponsor this event which brings together business leaders, national policymakers, investors and researchers to discuss opportunities in sustainability.

Gen Blog

By Amanda Davis | Sr. Manager, CR and Environment

Each April, people, businesses, and governments around the world come together to celebrate Earth Month. While at Gen we work to advance our environmental stewardship year-round, Earth Month is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to protecting the planet and advocate for positive change around pressing environmental challenges. 

Here are three ways Gen advances environmental progress through our business:

1. Engaging our employees

Empowering our employees to lead more sustainable lives is critical for our own sustainability success. Gen maintains an employee resource group (ERG) called Terra to engage our employees on environmental action. Terra is committed to protecting the planet by taking small actions every day — as we believe that, together, our individual acts can help save forests, conserve water, reduce air pollution, and tackle climate change. 

Terra has grown to more than 60 members, who are interested in and passionate about the environment. The ERG has arranged educational events such as upcycling and growing your own food. To celebrate Earth Month, we’ve partnered with Girl Up and Anthesis to host a panel on climate activism, justice, and equality. Employees also have an opportunity to participate in themed Earth Month Missions and challenges on our Giving Hub each week!

Last Earth Month, we announced the Sustainable Home Improvement Program, which provides our employees with up to $500 per year to make sustainability improvements in their own homes. To-date, 780 employees participated in the program, completing sustainability improvements such as installing solar panels, rainwater harvesting systems, composting systems, upgrading to energy efficient home appliances, and more.  With many of our employees working remotely, helping them to improve their home sustainability helps Gen lower our own Scope 3 emissions — our GHG emissions from upstream and downstream activities of the company.

2. Partnering with NGOs

Gen recognizes that we can do more for the planet by working with others. That’s why we partner with NGOs to amplify positive environmental impact, such as increasing access to renewable energy. 

One way Gen does this is through our partnership with GRID Alternatives National Tribal Program. GRID is a leading nonprofit helping low-income communities get clean, affordable, renewable energy, transportation, and jobs. 

Since our partnership launched in April 2022, GRID has worked with 20 tribes in California, Colorado, Washington, and New Mexico to complete over 155 renewable energy projects. Some of the key results of our funding include:

Installing 720 kilowatts of solar power and 38 backup storage batteries that will prevent an estimated 13,000 tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the lifetime of the systems.Benefiting 380 Tribal families from the completed projects. Generating $4 million in financial savings for Tribal leadership over the system’s lifetime.Engaging 57 trainees to gain 2,700 hours of hands-on experience installing these projects, which exceeded our goal of 50 individuals. 

Gen also supports international efforts to increase renewable energy. Our three-year partnership with Barefoot College International (BCI) supports their women-centered global network, dedicated to sustainable development in impoverished communities. BCI operates across more than 90 countries, and Gen’s financial support enables the organization’s Solar Mama initiative, which provides solar engineering and education programs.

3. Improving energy and operational efficiency

With 98% of our products offered digitally, emissions from data centers are a top priority for improving our environmental performance. 

To address data center emissions, we decommissioned our Tucson data center and moved operations to more efficient co-located data centers that rely on less carbon intensive electricity grids. This contributed to our 39% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions between FY21 and FY22. We continue to look for ways to minimize our energy and operational footprint. 

Earth Month is a time for all of us to pause and reflect on all that we’ve achieved — and the work yet to be done — to build a better and more sustainable world. For ideas on how to take action this month, visit https://www.earthday.org/take-action-now

Originally published on 3M News Center

Ah, springtime! There’s something in the air…pollen?!

While green grass, budding leaves, and plants and flowers emerging from the ground may be welcome sights, they can also usher in a spike in airborne allergens.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) recently released its 20th annual Top 20 Allergy Capitals list for 2023. Tree and grass pollen scores are among several factors AAFA considers for its annual rankings. Wichita, Kansas received the dubious honors of top ranking. Florida has seven cities in the top 20 rankings. Oklahoma has two cities in the top five spots.

In its 2023 list news release, AAFA noted that since it began identifying allergy capitals 20 years ago, pollen counts have been rising as growing seasons lengthen, which leads to higher pollen concentrations in areas of the country.

Pollen isn’t the only problem. Seasonal outdoor and indoor projects and activities that involve cleaning, dusting, moving, packing, sanding, sawing, mowing, raking, wildfires and more can also stir up all kinds of airborne particulates.

Cover up outside 

Staying inside or avoiding fun or productive outdoor activities that generate airborne particles probably isn’t a realistic or desirable option for most people.

If airborne pollen keeps you inside – especially in the spring and fall — then wearing a respirator can help to filter the airborne pollen and other types of non-hazardous airborne particles when you’re outside, or when you’re in or near an environment where particulates are being stirred up into the air.

Most people have grown used to seeing and using face coverings over the past few years, but not everyone knows the difference between an N95 respirator and a disposable or reusable mask. A key difference is that respirators are designed to be tight-fitting and form a seal to the face, allowing the air to go through the respirator filter to help reduce airborne particles. Masks tend to be loose-fitting and allow unfiltered air to leak through the gaps.

It’s important to find a respirator that fits well and forms a good seal to the face so it can help capture a wide range of airborne particles such as dust and debris, smoke, pollen and other airborne allergen particles. A respirator to consider for airborne pollen concerns is the 3M™ Aura™ Particulate Respirator 9205+, a NIOSH-approved N95 respirator that fits a wide range of face shapes and sizes.

Clean up inside 

Those pesky pollens can also infiltrate the home’s indoor spaces, especially if doors and windows are open to bring in fresh air. On the other hand, if the home is tightly closed to keep pollens out, or for winter heating or summer cooling purposes, then other types of tiny airborne debris inside the home can linger and accumulate.

Microparticles commonly present in the home’s air year-round can include allergens like pet dander, dust and mold, as well as microbes (e.g. bacteria and viruses) and particulates from routine household activities like cooking or burning candles.

This is where HVAC air filters come into play. They help to clean the home’s air by capturing those tiny, but pervasive, particles that are too small to see without a microscope.

3M Filtrete™ Brand is the first brand of HVAC air filters that are CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly®. Five Filtrete products — rated MPR 1500, 1600, 1900, 2200 and 2800 — have undergone testing to achieve this certification. MPR, short for microparticle performance rating, measures how well an air filter captures particles. The higher the number, the more effective the product is in capturing the smallest airborne particles. Microparticles are .3 microns to 1 micron in size. For comparison, an average strand of human hair is about 60 microns wide.

Allergy Standards Ltd. (ASL) developed this certification program with rigorous science-based standards for testing products and services for homes. They have partnered with AAFA to bring the voices of those with asthma and allergy into the conversation. The program helps shoppers make informed choices about the products they purchase for their homes if allergens are a concern.

To achieve certification, products and services are tested in independent laboratories, using testing processes overseen by ASL, to ensure they meet the program’s strict scientific standards. For HVAC air filters, the testing criteria includes allergen capture and removal effectiveness, the product’s seal integrity to ensure it doesn’t have weak spots around the edges where allergens could pass through, and airflow to ensure the filter can continue to perform well even when it’s loaded with dust.

“The AAFA and ASL science-based certification process made perfect sense for 3M as a company that believes science helps create a brighter world for everyone,” said Doug Huntley, 3M Home Environment & Safety Business senior global R&D director. “As a technical and market leader for residential air filtration and improving indoor air quality, with over three decades of providing solutions to residential consumers, the certification also demonstrates the 3M Filtrete brand cares about our customers and wants to provide them with the best products for their needs.”